Star-Shaped Brain Cells May Form Specialized Networks for Reward Learning

Most Neuroscience Research Caried Out up to date has primary focus on neurons, The Most Renew Type of Cell in the Human Brain. A AS A RESULT, THE UNIQUE FUNCTIONS OF OHER BRAIN CELL TYPES ARE LESS UNDERSTOOD AND HAVE OFTEN BEEN ENTIRELOOKED.

Researchers at Instituto Cajal (CSIC), The Autonomous University of Madrid and Institute of Salud Carlos III Recently Carried Out a Study Aimed at Better Understanding The Contributions of Astrocytes, A Class of Star-Shaped Glial Cells Found in the Brain and Spinal Cord, to Key Mental Functions. Their Findings, published in Nature Neuroscienceunveiled the hass of astrocytic ensembles, Specialized Astrocyte Subsets That Appear to Be Active During Reward-Driven Behaviors.

“It is Known That Astrocytes are a heterogeneous Cell Type in Their Molecular and Gene Expression Signatures, Morphology and Origin,” Marta Navarrete, Senior Author of the Paper, Told Medical Xpress.

“However, Unlike Neurons, So Far, Nothing Was Known About The Functional Diversity of Astrocytes. In this Work, We Wanted To Study If and How Astrocytes Can Be Distinguish Based on the Roles That Play The Different Circuit Circuits Thaty Are Part of . “

To Closely Examine the Activity and Contributions of Astrocytes, The Researchers Used A New Experimental Tool That They Developed, Dubbed Astrolight. This promising TOOL ALLOWED THEM TO MAP THE ORGANIZATION OF THIS LESS-STUDIED Class of Cells While Also Manipulating Their Activity Using Light.

“We adapted a TOOL Originally Designed for Neurons, Which is not ideal for them sincer activity primarily Depes on Action Potentials Rather Than Calcium Ion Fluctations,” Explained Navarrete. “However, BECAUSE ASTROCYTIC ACTIVITY IS LARGELE DRIVEN BY CALCIUM DYNAMICS, THIS TOOL IS PARTY WELL-SUITED FOR STUDYING ASTROCYTES.

The Researchers Used the AstroLight Tool To Label and Manipulate Astrocytes in the Brains of Mice As They Were Completing A Behavioral Task. Their Findings Gathered New Valuable Insights into the Specialized Role of This Unique Class of Glial Cells in Motivation and Cue-Driven Behaviors.

“Using the New Tool We Adapted, We Translated Astrocytic Calcium Signals into Light-Pedent-Dependent Gene Expression, Enabling Us to Identify and Manipulate an Active Astrocytic Ensemble in the posterior Von of the Nucleus Accumbens (NAC) in Mice,” Said Navarrete.

“Our findings demonstrate that learning cue-reward associations involves incredited astrocytic activity in the nac and that this activity is not uniform but a spener confined to a specific, Sparsell Distributed Subset of Astrocytes-An ‘Astrocytic Ensemblet.’ We show that director optogenetic activation of this ensemble is sufficient to drive reward-seeking behavior, wheels activating the entire astrocyte population is not. “

The New Findings Gathered by Navarrete and Her Colleagues Could have Important Implications for the Study of Astrocytes and Their Role in Neural Circuits, The They Appear to Contradict Long-Standinging Assumpions Regarding the Organization of These Cells. Although Astrocytes Were Traditionally VieWed as Homogeneous Cell Population, The Researchers Showed That Cour, In Fact, Operate in Specialized Groups, Thus Fine-Tuning The Behavior of Animals and HumIns Similarly to Neurons.

“Importantly, Our Findings have Potential Implications for Translational Medicine, Targeting Astrocytic Ensembles Could Lead to More Precise and Personalized Therapeutic Approaches for Neuropsychiatric Disorders,” Aded Navarrete.

“The Fact That We Could Alter Mouse Behavior by Selectivity Manipulating an Astrocyte Ensemble poses an intriguing question: Are Astrocytes a Substrate for Memory? “

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